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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spring — of water
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. present — the time now
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — a tool
  9. club — a group
  10. spring — the season
  11. present — there
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. present — a gift
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. spring — a coil
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. club — for golf
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. club — for dancing
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com